Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. Doxorubicin, hyperfractionated radiotherapy and surgery.
Sixteen consecutive patients with anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid were prospectively treated according to a combined regimen consisting of hyperfractionated radiotherapy, doxorubicin and debulking surgery. The radiotherapy was preoperatively administered to a target dose of 30 Gy in 3 weeks, and postoperatively to an additional dose of 16 Gy in 1.5 weeks. Radiotherapy was administered twice daily, 5 days a week, with a target dose of 1 Gy per fraction and with a minimum interval of 6 hours. A dose of 20 mg doxorubicin was administered intravenously 1 to 2 hours before the first radiotherapy session every week. Debulking surgery was feasible in 9 patients. Local complete remission was achieved in 5 patients and 3 of these are still alive disease-free at 10, 30, and 30 months respectively after diagnosis. Only 6 patients succumbed to a local failure. This combination regimen was well tolerated despite the patients' high age and advanced disease.
Tennvall
J
J
Department of Oncology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.
Tallroth
E
E
el Hassan
A
A
Lundell
G
G
Akerman
M
M
Biörklund
A
A
Blomgren
H
H
Löwhagen
T
T
Wallin
G
G
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002423:Cause of Death; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*